CIHM 
Microfiche 
Series 
({Monographs) 


ICMH 

Collection  de 
microfiches 
(monographies) 


Canadian  Institutw  for  Historical  Microraproductions  /  In* Jtut  Canadian  da  microraproductiona  hittoriquas 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  technique  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best  original 
copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this  copy  which 
may  be  bibliographically  unique,  which  may  alter  any  of 
the  images  in  the  reproduction,  or  which  may 
significantly  change  the  usual  method  of  filming  are 
checked  below. 


fy]      Coloured  covers  / 


D 
D 

a 
n 
0 


n 

D 

n 


D 


Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged  / 
Couverture  endommag^ 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Couver;ure  restaur^  et/ou  pelliculde 

Cover  title  missing  /  Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps  /  Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 

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Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations  / 
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Bound  with  other  material  / 
ReM  avec  d'autres  documents 

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Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin  /  La  rellure  serrie  peut 
causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorston  le  long  de 
la  marge  int6rieure. 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoratkxtB  may  appear 
within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these  have 
been  omitted  from  filming  /  II  se  peut  que  ceitaines 
pages  blanches  ajouties  tors  d'une  restauration 
apparaissant  dans  le  texte,  mais,  kxsque  cela  «tait 
poMibie,  oas  pages  n'ont  pas  «M  fNm^es. 


L'Institut  a  microfilme  le  meilleur  examplaire  qu'il  lui  a 
6te  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details  de  cet  exem- 
plaire  qui  sont  peut-etre  uniques  du  point  de  vue  bibli- 
ographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier  une  image  reproduite, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modifications  dans  I'l  m6th- 
ode  nonnale  de  filmage  sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 

[     I      Coloured  pages/ Pages  de  couleur 

I     [      Pages  damaged  /  Pages  endommagees 

I     I      Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
' — '      Pages  restaur6es  et/ou  pelteuldes 

p^      Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 
'-^      Pages  decolor^es,  tachet^es  ou  piquees 

I     [      Pages  detached/ Pages  d6tach6es 
ry(     Showthrough  /  Transparence 

j     I      Quality  of  print  varies/ 

' — '      Quality  in^le  de  rimpresston 

I     1      Includes  supplementary  materieU  / 

Comprend  du  materiel  supptementaire 

I  I  Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
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ensure  the  best  possible  image  /  Les  pages 
totalement  ou  partieltement  obMurcies  par  un 
feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure,  etc.,  ont  M  film^es 
k  nouveau  de  fa^on  k  obtenir  la  meilleure 
image  possible. 

I  j  Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
' — '  discolourations  are  filmed  twice  to  ensure  the 
best  possible  image  /  Les  pages  s'opposant 
Siyant  des  colorations  variables  ou  des  decol- 
orations sont  fllm«es  deux  fois  afin  d'obtenir  la 
meilleur  image  possible. 


D 


Additional  comments  / 
Commentaires  suppMmenlaires: 


This  item  is  f ilmad  at  tiM  rtduetien  ratio  ttmkti  below/ 

C«  dooMMnt  ttt  film*  mi  uun  4t  rMuetion  imMw*  «i-daMew>. 

'OX  14X  nx 


12X 


1«X 


ax 


J 


aox 


2«X 


XX 


a«x 


2tX 


H 


32X 


Tha  copy  filmed  h«r«  has  b««n  rsproducad  thanks 
to  tha  flanarosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'axamplaira  filmA  fut  rsproduit  graca  i  la 
fl*n*rosit*  da: 

Bibliotheque  natioxutle  du  Canada 


Tha  imagas  appearing  hora  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacif ications. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  priniad  or  illustratad  impraa- 
sion.  or  tha  back  cowar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printed  or  illustratad  impres- 
sion.  end  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printad 
or  illuatrated  impression. 


Tha  iaat  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —^  •'"••"'"• ''52!!',* 
TINUEO").  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning    END  I. 
whichever  appliaa. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrama  illustrate  the 
mettiod: 


Les  images  suivantas  ont  *t*  raproduitas  avac  ia 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nettet*  de  Teiiemplaire  film*,  et  en 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 

Lea  axemplairaa  originaux  dont  la  couwerture  en 
pepier  eat  imprimOa  sont  film^s  an  commencant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darni^re  paga  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  ia  second 
plat,  selon  la  cas.  Tous  les  autras  axemplairas 
origir;aux  sont  filmAs  mn  commencant  par  la 
pramiAre  paga  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impreasion  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernt*ro  paga  qui  cempona  una  telle 
•mprainta. 

Un  daa  symboias  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darni«ra  image  da  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
caa:  la  symbols  — *>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
•ymboto  ▼  aisnifi*  "FIN". 

Les  canaa.  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  atra 
filmAs  A  das  Uux  do  reduction  diff«rents. 
Lorsque  la  document  est  trop  grand  pour  etre 
reproduit  en  un  saul  clich*.  ii  est  film*  «  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite. 
et  de  haut  en  bas.  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'imegea  n«cessaire.  Les  diagrammea  suiwants 
iilustrent  la  mOthoda. 


6 


MiCXOCOPy  KBOIUTION  TEST  CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


\ii   _ 

r:  MM 


IS 


IM 


■  2.2 


2.0 

1.6 


^ 


/1PPLIED  IfVHGE    Inc 


16S3  Ea>t   Main   StrMt 


\S        Rochnttr,   Umm  rgrh        14609 
(716)   482  -  0300  -  Phon« 
(716)   288-  5989  -  Fa. 


The 

Message 

of  an 

Indian 
Relic 

By 
Rev.  Dr.  J.  P.  D.  Uwyd 


Copyrisrht  1909 

Lownum  A  Hanfbrd  Co. 
SEATTLE 


E^3 


fe^i 


/J ACKNOWLEDGMENT  is  hereby 
^^  made  to  the  Smithsonian  Trustees  for 
use  of  illustrations  and  material  from  their 
reports        ::        ::       ::        ::       ::       ::        :: 


Hoorts 


I.     0 


ttdn  (kittik 


Hooyeh*- 


Keon( 


C.==== 


HMi 

'TUtmKft 

III  tids  dah 

HmmmrmHu 


mniUtt 
KMtkll 


Ttckint 


KMta 


OOOrar 


The  Message 


~j 


'  1  «  Indian  Relic 

In  the  centre  of  one  of  the  main  thorough- 
fares of  the  City  of  Seattle  stands  a  verj 
peculiar  and  interesting  object.     It  is  so  cu- 
nous  and  so  striking  that  the  eje  of  a  guest 
or  newcomer  no  sooner  falls  upon  iv  than  his 
gaze  IS  riveted  and  his  mind  quickened  into 
wondering  attention.    The  object  in  question 
IS  a  wooden  pillar,  something  like  the  trunk 
of  a  tree  peeled  of  its  bark  and  set  upright  in 
the  square.    The  front  is  covered  with  sculp- 
tures of  birds  and  animals,  carved  in  crude 
and  often  grotesque  fashion  and  painted  in 
a  variety  of  startling  colors.     The  colum 
occupies  a  position  so  conspicuous,  and  is  so 
unique  a  mark  for  the  eye,  that  strangers 
rarely  fail  to  pause  to  examine  it  more  close- 
ly, and  many  are  the  inquiries  as  to  its  na- 
ture, or  the  opinions  uttered  by  the  unin- 
formed. 

"An  old  Indian  idol,"  concludes  some  cas- 
ual spectator,  and  goes  on  his  way  with  a 
pawing  reflection  upon  the  crude  forms 
which  religion  wears  among  primitive  races. 
But  the  reflection  is  hasty  and  the  judgment 
would  be  unjust,  for  the  column  is  not  an  idoi 
and  it  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  re- 
ligion. 

"Hideous  image,"  exclaims  another,  and 
censures  the  taste  that  placed  it  there.  Ask 
a  citizen  what  it  is,  and  he  will  probably  re- 
spond that  it  is  an  Indian  relic— a  totem  pole 
stolen  from  a  native  graveyard  in  South- 
eastern Alaska  by  a  party  of  excursionists, 
and  presented  by  them  to  the  city.  Such  in- 
formation,  however,  contains  more  than  a 
flavor  of  myth,  for,  while  the  first  part  of  the 
statement  relating  to  the  character  of  the  ob- 
ject is  undoubtedly  correct,  it  i»  not  true  that 
the  pole  was  the  spoil  of  a  nocturnal  burff- 
lary,  nor  that  it  waa  ravished  from  a  grave- 
yard  by  sacrilegious  hands.     The  history  of 


?wi 


-fe? 


its  presence  here  is  replete  with  the  fascina- 
tions of  romance,  and  perhaps  the  reader 
may  spend  an  hour  with  profit  in  the  eflfort 
to  read  the  riddle  and  fathom  the  meaning 
of  so  striking  an  emblem. 

First,  however,  he  must  rid  his  mind  of 
the  delusion  referred  to  that  its  transporta- 
tion hither  involved  any  wilful  violation  of 
human  rights.  It  was  brought  here  by  a 
party  of  prominent  citizens  who  were  return- 
ing homewards  on  the  steamer  City  of  Seat- 
tle in  the  month  of  August,  1898,  after  an 
excursion  along  the  inside  passage  to  Alaska. 
Informed  on  good  authority  that  the  Indian 
village  of  Fort  Tongass  had  been  deserted  by 
its  inhabitants — a  thing  of  frequent  occur- 
rence in  that  region— and  that  its  relics  were 
therefore  the  property  of  all  the  world,  they 
went  on  shore  when  the  boat  arrived  at  the 
place  in  question,  and  brought  away  this 
pole.  Later,  when  claimants  appeared  whose 
title  to  the  possession  of  the  article  seemed 
to  be  well-founded,  it  was  honorably  pur- 
chased for  presentation  to  the  city  and 
erected  upon  the  site  it  occupies  today.  Any 
stories  of  theft  or  desecration  are  barnacles 
of  myth  and  fable  which  have  incrusted 
themselves  around  these  simple  facts  to  the 
obscuration  of  the  truth. 

The  authentic  history  of  the  Seattle  totem 
pole  as  given  to  the  writer  by  its  original 
owner  is,  as  has  been  said,  tinged  with  rare 
hues  of  romance  and  pathos.  It  strikes  a 
notp  which  makes  the  whole  world  kin,  the 
note  of  home  and  aflfection.  It  suggests  the 
thought  that  the  root  feelings  of  humanity 
are  always  and  everywhere  the  same,  in  spite 
of  distinctions  of  color,  or  race,  or  caste. 

The  Indians  of  Southeastern  Alaska  are 
among  the  most  interesting  varieties  of  the 
origifia!  inhabitants  of  this  continent.  Stu- 
dents of  ethnology  are  not  yet  fully  agreed 
as  to  their  origin,  although  the  weight  of  ar- 
gument semns  to  support  the  view  that  they 
are  a  branch  of  the  Asiatic  peoples,  and  are 
near  of  kin  to  the  Japaoeae,  whose  cast  of 


feature  is  strikingly  reproduced,  for  instance, 
in  the  children  seen  by  travelers  in  the  In- 
dian village  at  Sitka.     Whatever  the  theory 
of  their  ancestry,  their  art,  their  language 
and  their  manners  and  customs  entitle  them 
to  sincere  attention.     They  have  developed  a 
higher  degree  of  civilization  than  any  native 
tribes  in  the  region.     They  were  the  last  of 
the  coast  tribes  with  whom  the  Russians 
came  into  contact,  and  were  never  subju- 
gated by  them.     In  1804  Baranoff  set  upon 
tt  section  of  them  and  drove  them  out  of  their 
stronghold  at  Sitka,  of  which  he  took  posses- 
sion, but  they  were  never  fully  vanquished. 
They  are  divided  into  two  great  races,  the 
Haidas  and  the  Tlingits.     The  Haidas  are 
island-folk,  having  their  home  in  the  group 
of  islands  known  as  the  Queen  Charlotte  Is- 
lands and  the  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  whose 
geographical  position  is  to  the  north  of  Van- 
couver Island.     The  first  group  is  a  British 
possession,  while  Prince  of  Wales  Island 
is  American  territory.     Up  to  fifty  years  ago 
the  Haidas  were  the  most  powerful  and  war- 
like savages  along  the  coast,  pirates  and  free- 
booters, whose  raids  were  the  terror  of  the 
other  aborigines  from  their  ferocious  cruelty. 
Their  incursions  onto  the  mainland  left  be- 
hind a  waste  of  smoking  villages  and  carcass- 
es of  unburied  victims  for  the  birds  of  prey 
to  feast  upon,  while  their  homeward  return 
was  accompanied  by  the  wailing  of  captives 
destined,  some  for  slavery,  others  for  sacri- 
fice at  the  horrible  orgies  of  banquets  where 
it  was  whispered  that  cannibalism  was  a  not 
infrequent  feature  of  the  devilish  saturnalia. 
Even  the  whites  feared  them,  and  bloody  les- 
sons were  necessary  to  reduce  these  sons  of 
the  forest  and  the  seashore  to  submission. 
The  heroism  and  self-denial  of  Christian  mis- 
sionaries who  spent  a  lifetime  among  them 
was  required  to  civilise  them  according  to 
our  standards,  and  nothing  more  than  a  per- 
■unal  visit  is  requisite  to  convince  the  mind 
of    the    valuable   quality    of   their    work. 
Throughout  recent  history  the  influence  of 
Haida  art  and  political  organization  has 


s^ 


f.''*'f 


overshadowed  that  of  the  races  on  the  main- 
land, in  spite  of  the  difference  in  language. 

The  Tlingit  territory  is  on  the  mainland 
and  runs  along  the  coast  in  a  northwester!/ 
direction  from  the  boundary  line  to  Yakutat 
Bay.  It  also  includes  the  upper  half  of 
Prince  of  Wales  Island,  as  well  as  the  other 
islands  to  the  immediate  north.  These, 
therefore,  are  the  Indians  to  be  found  around 
such  mining  centres  as  Ketchikan,  Juneau, 
Bkagway  and  the  country  around  the  Stick- 
een  River.  The  race  is  at  bottom  one  race, 
but  broken  up  into  half  a  dozen  or  more 
clans  or  septs,  such  as  the  Sitkas,  Takutats, 
Takus,  Hoonahs,  Btickeeus,  etc.,  all  speaking 
dialects  of  one  original  tongue,  and  amidst 
much  variety  of  detail  preserving  the  sub- 
stantial features  of  the  same  system  of  gov- 
ernment. 

To  the  north  of  the  boundary  line  is  a 
branch  of  this  race  called  the  Indians  of 
Fort  Tongass.  Their  clan  appellation  is  the 
same  as  their  geographical.  Their  village  is 
situated  at  the  head  of  a  lovely  bay  running 
some  distance  inland  from  the  main  high- 
way of  navigation.  The  shore  line  makes  a 
slight  bend  here,  and  along  the  crescent  thus 
formed  are  arranged  probably  fifteen  or 
twenty  houses  built  of  wood.  They  stand  a 
little  above  the  beach.  In  front  are  a  great 
many  of  these  totemic  columns,  which  arrest 
the  eye  at  once  by  their  grotesque  and  yet 
artistic  carving.  In  the  midst  of  the  houses 
stands  that  of  the  chieftain  of  the  tribe,  be- 
fore whose  residence  once  stood  the  totem 
pole  of  which  we  write. 

In  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  the 
wife  of  the  then  chief  was  an  Indian  princess 
named  Bhawat.*  She  belonged  to  one  of  the 
most  famous  families  on  the  coast.  Iler  father 

was  the  hereditary  chief  of  the  Skeena  tribe, 

*  Koto. — Aoeordinf  to  h«r  frandMii,  Itfr.  0«onr«  Hunt, 
of  rort  Rnp«rt,  B.  C,  h«r  m>ldtn  nam*  wu  DmiUm,  or 
"■hlnlnv  Faca  of  Copper."  Aftor  har  marrtavt  hor  nam* 
was  Tandan.  or  "OrMt  Whala."  After  har  BrM  child  waa 
bora  aha  racalvad  a  third  iiama,  Bhawat  Aakawa,  or 
"Chlaf  Orar  All  Chlat  Woman."  Har  father'*  aam*  waa 
Tahadatau,  ar  "Bvanrbody  Loaka  Up  ta  Hl«." 


whose  habitat  was  close  to  the  river  o'  the 
same  name.    He  bore  a  name  as  remarkable 
in  Indian  history  as  that  of  Pharaoh  in 
Jiigyptian— the  name  of  a  dynasty  of  chiefs 
who  had  ruled  the  tribe  for  generations. 
This  name  was  Shakes.     It  was  a  sort  of 
patent  of  nobility,   identified  with    many 
mighty  deeds,  and  honored  far  and  near 
The  marriage  law  of  these  native  races 
resembles  that  of  many  civilized  nations  in 
forbidding  royalty  to  marry  with  those  of 
lower  degree  on  pain  of  ostracism.    The  hus- 
band chosen  for  the  Princess  Shawat  was 
therefore  of  her  own  class— a  chief,  the  ruler 
of  the  Tongass  tribe.    With  him  she  lived  in 
contentment  for  years.     One  day  the  tidings 
came  of  her  si.jter's  dangerous  illness  at  the 
home  on  the  banks  of  the  Naas  River.  The  dis- 
tance was  great,  but  she  started  for  the  bed- 
side of  her  sick  relative  without  delay.     The 
errand  of  love  as  it  proved,  was  a  fruitless 
one,  for  her  sister  died  while  she  was  still 
on  the  way,  and  to  crown  all  misfortunes  she 
herself  lost  her  life  while  irossing  the  river 

fu^^i  ^^^^  ^**  "P^*  '^^  an  eddy  in  the 
mighj^  flood  of  waters,  and  the  princess  was 
swept  away  and  drowned,  dying  as  the  result 
of  her  brave  attempt  to  reach  the  deathbed 
of  one  she  loved.  Her  children  and  brothers 
gave  a  large  sum  of  money  to  raise  a  monu- 
ment to  he-  memory.  It  was  erected  in  front 
of  the  house  where  she  had  lived  at  Port 
Tongass,  and  is  the  column  which  now  stands 

mv.  P"**"*'  mn&re  of  the  City  of  Seattle. 

This  pole  is  not  only  a  monument  in  hon- 
or of  a  brave  woman,  it  is  also  the  pictorial 
expression  of  a  myth.  The  figures  are  not 
Chosen  at  haphazard,  nor  are  they  arranged 
In  arbitrary  fashion.  There  is  a  princi- 
ple underneath  the  work,  a  thought  which 
gives  unity  to  the  entire  composition.  The 
attempt  is  made  to  represent  In  carving  one 
of  those  extraordinary  stoHes  of  the  trans 
formation  of  human  beings  into  animals  and 
vice-verea  with  which  the  folk-lore  of  less 
civilized  peoples  abound.  legends  such  as 
thoae  that  were  clothed  in  Immortal  vene 


5%  ■-. 


by  the  pan  of  Ovid  for  the  Latin  race,  and 
which  are  cast  into  the  form  of  wooden  sculp- 
ture by  the  art  of  the  races  in  question. 
Absurd  and  ridiculous  as  such  stories  appear 
to  more  cultivated  minds,  our  estimate  of 
their  value  should  be  governed,  not  by  the 
standards  of  a  more  enlightened  era,  but  by 
the  mental  stature  and  development  of  a 
much  less  advanced  way  of  thinking  about 
nature  and  man.  The  figures  are  six  in  num- 
ber and  read  upward.  They  are  the  raven, 
the  whale,  the  frog,  the  mink,  the  man,  the 
raven  again.  The  substance  of  the  descrip- 
tion by  the  original  owner  of  the  pole  is  to 
the  following  effect: 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  town  at 
Kivdokgo,  where  a  chief  and  chieftainess 
were  living  a  happy  life.     The  wife  proved 
unfaithful  to  her  husband,  and  in  order  to 
escape  from  him  she  pretended  to  die.     The 
fraud  was  detected,  and  her  lover  was  slain. 
When  their  son  arrived  at  man's  estate  he 
decided  to  make  a  journey  to  the  sky,  in  or- 
der to  marry  the  daughter  of  the  chief  of  that 
ragion.      He  and  a  young  friend  clothed 
themselves   \,ith   the   skins   of   two  wood- 
I«ckers,  one  red  and  the  other  black,  and 
flew  upward.     The  great  chief  of  heaven  al- 
ways killed  those  who  wanted  to  get  married 
to  his  daughters,  so  they  were  told  by  inhabi- 
tants of  villages  passed  during  their  flight. 
At  this  time  the  world  was  always  dark, 
there  was  no  daylight.     After  a  long  time 
they  came  to  a  hole  in  the  sky,  where  was  a 
fire  going  up  and  down.     They  flew  through 
this,  although  the  fire  sintjed  their  feathers, 
and  then  laying  aside  the  woodpecker  skins 
they  were  transformed  into  sandpipers,  were 
caught  by  the  chiefs  daughters  and  carried 
into  the  house.     The  chief  was  indignant  at 
finding  them  there  and  planned  to  roast  them 
alive,  but  his  cruel  intention  was  frustrated 
by  the  cleverness  of  the  young  men.     The 
chief  then  acknowledged  them  as  his  sons-in- 
law.    The  one  who  is  hero  of  the  story  had  a 
son  who  was  dropped  from  the  sky  by  hia 
parents  on  to  a  spot  near  his  grandfather's 


borne,  where  one  of  the  slaves  found  him  and 
brought  him  to  the  house,  when  the  old  man 
recognized  him  at  once.      The  child  was 
Nasaku  Yethi,  the  head  chief  of  the  Raven 
clan.     He  is  the  male  figure  near  the  top 
of  the  Seattle  totem  pole.     He  ate  so  much 
and  so  constantly  that  at  last  he  was  de- 
serted  by   his   relatives   and   left   to   die, 
but  was  saved  from  starvation  by  an  old 
woman    who    fed    him    with    crab-apples. 
Afterwards  he  transformed  himself  into  a 
raven— the   first   figure   on   the   pole— and 
struck  up  a  companionship  with  four  young 
men  in  the  guise  of  a  squirrel,  a  crow, 
a  robin  and  a  blue  jay,  to  whom  was  later 
joined  a  mink.     They  made  up  their  minds 
(o  travel,  and  just  then  a  whale— second  fig- 
are  on  the  pole— arrived.     The  whale  took 
them  in  his  mouth  and  went  out  to  sea.    The 
raven  made  a  fire  inside  of  him  and  began 
to  cut  the  fat  off  the  whale's  heart,  until  he 
cut  a  little  too  deep  and  the  whale  died. 
After  a  long  t:me  the  raven  felt  the  dead 
whale  bumping  on  the  beach.     Some  people 
came  and  cut  a  hole  in  the  whale's  side,  and 
the  raven  and  mmk  came  out  shining  all 
over,  for  they  were  oily.     The  mink  went 
and  rolled  himself  on  rotten  wood  to  dry 
himself.     This  is  how  he  is  brown  and  oily 
at  the  present  day.     He  is  the  third  figure 
on  the  pole.   The  place  was  Yakwan,  a  Haida 
village,  where  it  is  always  dark,  so  the  raven 
decided  to  get  hold  of  a  box  in  which  the 
sun  was  kept  by  the  chief.     He  married  the 
chief's  daughter  and  had  a  son  by  her.  When 
the  boy  was  partly  grown  he  asked  for  the 
box,  and  the  chief,  who  had  a  great  love  for 
his  grandson,  told  the  slaves  to  give  it  to 
him.     The  boy  opened  the  box,  took  out  the 
sun  and  rolled  it  on  the  floor,  and  ordered  it 
to  go  out  of  the  house  and  up  to  where  it  is 
now.     It  did  so,  and  there  has  been  light 
ever  since.     The  boy  changed  himself  into 
u  raven  and  flew  out  of  the  house.    He  is  the 
raven  on  the  top  of  the  totem  pole.    He  soon 
eloped  with  the  pretty  daughter  of  the  chief 
of  a  village  at  Eadokgo— the  place  of  quick- 

u 


'...-ill? 


4 


s 


I 


•il 


sand— and  her  name  was  Gadak.   Her  father 
was  frantic  over  her  loss.     Four  years  went 
by,  and  late  one  evening  the  chief  saw  a  frog 
coming  into  his  house.     The  thought  of  his 
lost  daughter  at  once  came  into  his  mind. 
The  chief  said  to  the  frog,  "Whose  child  are 
you?"    The  frog  answered,  "Gadak  Gadak," 
mentioning  the  name  of  the  missing  girl. 
The  chief  knew  then  that  he  must  be  his 
grandson  transformed  into  a  frog.    He  bade 
him  go  forth  and  bring  the  mother  and  her 
husband.     The  frog  went  behind  the  house 
and  jumped  into  a  pond.     Early  the  next 
morning  the  chiefs  lost  daughter  came  into 
her  father's  house  carrying  a  young  frog  in 
her  arms,  and  behind  her  came  a  large  frog. 
The  chief  spread  a  mat  for  them  to  sit  on. 
But  at  last  he  became  ashamed  of  the  matter 
and  ordered  his  people  to  kill  the  bull  frog 
and  the  young  one.    The  woman  stayed  with 
her  father  after  that.     She,  in  her  frog  form, 
is  the  figure  remaining.    This  ends  the  story. 
Such  a  story  is  the  sheerest  nonsense  to 
us,  but  to  the  Indian  imagination  it  was 
science  and  fairytale  in  one.     It  represented 
his  crude  a^J  amusing  speculation  about  the 
world  of  animated  nature  in  its  relations  to 
man. 

But  are  we  to  rest  content  with  such 
ridiculous  ideas?   Has  such  a  relic  no  deeper 
meaning  than  the  native  himself  could  read 
upon  the  surface?     Surely  it  is  incumbent 
upon  us  to  gain  some  understanding  of  the 
larger  interpretation  of  this  column— the  ex- 
planation of  its  connection  with  the  whole 
life  of  this  savage  race.     Scientific  study  has 
taught  us  that  there  ia  an  intimate  relation 
between   the  simplest  and  most  primitive 
facts  and  the  greatest  beliefs  of  the  human 
mind,  making  us  realize  the  variety  of  life's 
expression  of  itself  in  forms  of  culture  the 
most  diverse,  barbarous  as  well  as  civilized, 
and  yet  the  essential  unity  of  life's  concep- 
tion of  itself  under  all  these  manifestations. 
Perhaps,  then,  a  little  thought  and  investi- 
gation may  open  up  to  us  a  vision  of  noble 
11 


to"  m  ^„"'*  *^'  'P'»«°*  grot«,.erie  »f  . 

I.  First  of  all,  then,  the  totem  doIa  i. 
m  example  of  primitive  ar\  TWa^^siS 
simp  est  and  most  obvious  va  ue  it  fs  in 
inferior  grade  of  the  samp  clasa  ««  iL  l^ 
sculptures  of  Nineveh,  th^e  scirlls^y'E'gJp" 

higher  d  anp  thin  ii.    •  ^^°°^  °°  *  '^t^er 

«'rf ^^^^^^^^      Tis^,^ 

telhgence  than  they.     To  the  artistic  eve  ?t 
appears  a  performance  crude,  but-whin  af 
th  ngs  are  taken  into  account-very  wonder 
ful     In  technique,  if  not  in  subjSand  sptri 

&riJte  LT^f"  *^'^^  ^'^^^^  «pecimensTf 
'^ypriote  and  Etruscan  art  now  on  exhibition 
m  our  great  Metropolitan  Muleum 

ItsShinS'^'''  *"*  ^""^^  ^^*  ^8  °ow  reviving. 

lahonship  between  civilized  mSn  .^j  ^ 
inferior  brethren.  To  St  ^Srt  ^h,H^' 
With  contempt  or  ridicnie  S'fSh'Tto 
Bj'inpatny.     Interesting  as  to  the  naw    f  +1.0, 

£™f^,*rrtSfeSS 

»cr«i.isigrntrx"n^^ 

?CS,:a^i''''»"™"'»»SateTli: 
to  I^nStt^Snl^  X^/l?;v"S 

=£:,is^^--HiH 
^;ii'it^brere*tr4-s;£ 


■k 


f?^ 


It 


I 


'Ulij 


If 

r.   ,  - 

1 

m 

Tadn  skiliik 
intOu/ 


Itl  tadidih  I 
Stijt 

Tidiiikjlijk, 


Skamtliwin 


Tschin* 

JMino 


L 


SLATS  TOTBH. 

lu  general  outline,  but  distinguished  by  cer- 
tain minor  points  of  difference.  The  brown 
hear  is  usually  known  by  his  protruding 
tongue;   the  black  bear  by  his  two  regular 


II 


r«,T  «  1,**®?'  ?®  **°^^'*  *>y  *^«  corrugated 
tail  or  his  two  long  front  teeth.  The  icolf 
and  bear  look  the  same  except  that  as  a  rule 


THUNDBB  BIBD. 


^LZZ^^  '"''^ir^  ^^^^'^  «'  *"«k  on  each 
side  of  the  jaw.  The  whale-killer  is  recoe- 
nized  by  is  huge  dor.  I  fin ;  the  raven  ETv  Us 
sharp  beak;   the  eagle  b.y  its  curved  Eak- 

riS  rJ'h*  "^  *^';  •'*»^«''  ^«"^«  are  in  thei; 
natural  shape  and  can  be  easily  recognized. 

iw,        u     V  .'■®  ^^'  however,  a  deeper  meaninj? 
ZZ'    T^^^"'*'  *^?°  ^^^^^'^  Artistic  signTfl^ 
ITt  .K  °  ^'^^''^  ''.*''*'•  «*^««  o'  development, 
art  IS  the  expression  of  thought;   it  is  the 
instrument  ^orough  which  thi  m'ind  Trans 
lates  the  wealth  of  its  ideas  and  images  into 
visible  form.    The  totem  pole  also  is  fo  mere 
grotesquerie,  but  is  full  of  the  mythology  and 
the  feroping  thought  of  the  race^from  which 

whTS-    ?r"»^y«tate  in  one  terse  phrise 
what  the  totem  pole  seems  to  us  most  to 

Everyone  who  has  become  at  all  familiar 

14 


vi 


Ik 


.i.-i^S9 


With  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  wild 
men  of  the  woods  and  prairie  must  often 
have  been  led  to  reflect  upon  the  f,tranee 
practice  prevailing  among  them  under  the 
name  of  totemism.     It  consists  in  the  choice 
or  some  fish,  bird  or  animal  as  the  badge  of 
the  tribe  or  the  crest  of  the  clan,  or  family, 
or  individual.     The   ceremonies   attendant 
upon  such  a  selection  are  most  curious  and 
interesting.      Let  us  su;      se,  for  examp'a, 
that  some  young  brave  of  the  Haida  race 
wishes  to  celebrate  his  coming  of  age  in  the 
tribe.     He  is  first  led  before  the  shaman  or 
medicme-man  of  the  clan  to  which  he  be- 
longs.    From  him  he  receives  an  enormous 
^P,'^°^^"«<l^^t'»  two  quarts  of  fish  or  seal 
oil.     This  he  must  drink  down.     After  the 
nauseous  draught  is  finished,  he  is  sent  away 
for  a  fortnight's  fasting  in  the  solitude  of  the 
forest.     He  must  need  -'t,  we  should  think. 
If  the  fast  has  been  loyally  kept,  the  first 
animal,  fish,  bird  or  reptile  upon  which  his 
eyes  fall  at  the  end  of  the  period  prescribed 
IS  reckoned  as  his  totem.   Nor  is  it  as  a  mere 
crest  that  he  adopts  it.     He  believes  that 
there  is  a  peculiar  relationship  between  the 
creature  and  himself,  manifested  in  a  sort  of 
treaty  of  peace  and  protection.    He  will  not 

fa"?w^''.'*i"'*  '.*  '°  ^°y  ^a^'  and  it  is  his 
faith  that  the  animal  will  stand  his  friend  un- 
der all   circumstances,  and   be   his   blood- 

^i^'^'J'^^  ^'^'^S"  ^°  Kipl-ng's  Jungle 
Book  So  deep-rooted  are  such  convictions 
that  hunters  tracing  up  voices  heard  in  the 
forests  have  discovered  that  the  souads  came 
from  an  Indian  in  conversation  with  his 
totem— say,  a  bear— and  that  the  animal's 
face,  comically  grave,  seemed  to  show  signs 
of  understanding. 

While  the  belief  in  totemism  cannot  be 
said  to  be  universal,  it  is  still  very  wide- 
spread among  the  inferior  peoples  of  the 
world.  Our  keenest  investigators  have  de- 
cided that  it  is  rooted  in  two  primary  beliefs, 
both  springing  from  an  animistic  idea  of  na- 
ture. 


11 


noJ^^;*?''f^*^*°«  ^8  a  soul.     Even  the 

SXr  rli?"*^,  '^  ""^'^^  manifest  in  the 
PMuhar  practice  of  carving  the  eye— the  em 
Wem  of  spirit  or  intelligence-uponlhe  wi^e 

(2) .    A  belief  in  the  essential  kinship  be- 

tween  man  and  the  created  world  b^iL^ 
him.     An  Australian  aborigine  is  said  to 

whin's;  LT";«  ^".^  *  ^^'*«  «Po'^^an! 
Ir+t\.  '*"®'*  brought  down  a  parroauet 
with  his  gun  The  native  rushedXrXd 
ZX  *K^'^  st'^aming  from  his  eyes,  pkked 
?eUed''i1;?°^  T**'  'T^  appear^^eXn 
^Tfa    ^^'''  Sir'^'  "What  for  you  kill 

curs  in  .;  f^^v?*^®^'°^**°<»  »^  point  oc- 
curs m  .ue  tradition  of  a  certain  clan  of  the 
eioux  tribt,  of  Indians,  called  the  Crawfish 
clan.  According  to  the  clan's  own  le  Jend 
in  ages  gone  by  its  ancestors  were  all  cmw- 
flsh,  living  in  holes  in  the  mud  of  a  swamD 
One  day  there  came  from  a  neighbor^  trZ 
which  had  reached  the  stature  and  fnteiU- 
gence  of  hun,anity,  a  sweet  singer  who  d4- 

were'fttrct^'?  '^^^r*^  *^^*^^«  ^'•'^fl  h 
were  attracted  from  their  holes  and  raneed 

in  a  charmed  circle  around  him.     SteoS 

nnrill    *'*!"  *^^"  **y  ^^»  melodies  into  the 
«pnght  posture  and  intelligent  powe^  o? 

Is  not  this  an  Indian  form  oi  the  idea  in 

Orpheus  with  his  lute  made  tree«, 
And  the  mountain  tops  that  freej4, 
Tn  ^?7  themselves  when  he  did  sing; 
To  his  music  plants  and  flowers 
Ever  spring,  as  sun  and  showers 
There  had  made  a  lasting  spring. 

The  area,  or  tchalekiller  (Figure  4  Plate 
4),  IS  supposed  to  be  so  closel)  idStd  w?th 


^ 


V 


BOTTOM     H«IRK    ON    SKATTI.K    TOTEM.     II  I  ,  s 
TRATIX<i    KVK   IX   KAVKNS   W  IN<i.  " 


PI 


^v 


at- 


If 


human  life  that  he  can  transform  himself  at 
any  moment  into  the  form  of  man.  There  is  a 
stopy  of  some  young  Indians  who  were  out 
seal  hunting  and  who  amused  themselves 
by  throwing  stones  from  their  canoe  and  hit- 
ting the  fin  of  a  killer  who  was  following 
them.     Soon  the  fish  made  for  the  shore  and 
disappeared  up  the  beach.     A  smoke  was 
seen  and  when  they  landed  they  discovered 
to  their  surprise  a  large  canoe.     The  Skana. 
or  orca,  had  vanished,  and  there  was  a  man 
cooking  food  instead.     He  rebuked  them  for 
throwing  stones  at  his  canoe,  said  they  had 
broken  it  and  it  must  be  mended.     When 
they  had  finished  the  repairs,  he  forbade 
;,^®^^i.     look  around  during  his  departure 
until  he  gave  them  permission.    They  turned 
around  at  last  and  saw  nothing  but  the 
whale-killer.     In  like  fashion,  th.  dsherman 
who  catches  a  raven  that  has  been  stealing 
his  bait  or  fish  is  apt  to  find  him  turned  into 
a  man.    During  some  suph  transformation  a 
^*'i?i^'^^i*°  *^  ^^^  *o  have  taken  a  handful 
of  filth  and  rubbed  it  in  the  raven's  eyes,  and 
in  reven^  for  this  indignity  the  raven  and 
friends,  the  crows,  have  ever  since  an- 
noyed the  Indians  by  soiling  their  canoes 
and  eating  up  their  fish. 

Environment,  of  course,  usually  decides 
the  kind  of  animals  chosen  as  totems.  Among 
the  Indians  of  Southeastern  Alaska,  the  chief 
selections  are  the  raven,  the  wolf,  the  bear, 
InH  Ik^^^^®""'  ^^t  ^''*=^'  **>«  eagle,  the  beaver 
?h„.  Jk^      ?^:    "    '  ^'"^"S  t^e«e  Indians 
that  the  art  of  carving  such  objects,  and  es- 
pecially of  grouping  them  together  on  the 
basis  of  some  intelligent  idea  in  the  form  of 
pillars  or  heraldic  c  umns,  has  been  brought 
to  a  perfection  unknown  elsewhere.     Ind^d. 
it  is  claimed  that  the  only  other  race  of  sav- 
ages in  existence  which  carves  totem  poles 
wh.-nif  .^*T>  ™ce  of  New  Zealand,  a  fact 
which  has  led  some  scholars  to  argue  that 
ine  Haidas   are   a  boulder  people,   driven 

!^Z  },"}  ''^""^fy  ^^  ^^^^'^  conquerors  at 
some  distant  point  in  the  dark  backward 
and  abysm  of  time. 


1/ 


IH? 


'60-      INDIAN  OKAVHS  AND  TOTEM! 


.   ALASKA. 


Hi>K(  IMKNS  ,n    MORTI  AKV    IOIK>|    loiK^H 


■i^'A-i 


^.>: 


v.h^oh?u  "^u^l^""^^  ^'°^«  <*'  *otem  poles,  of 
which  the  chief  are  three- mortuary,  his- 
torical, and  commemorative.  The  mortuary 
consists  of  a  bare,  upright  trunk  of  wood 
surmounted  by  the  crest  of  the  chieftain  to 
whose  memory  it  is  erected.     Sometimes  his 

J^S^V^rn^J^**    **""®'l   ^°    a    hollow   dug   OUt 

^^ll\    These  poles  are  almost  or  entirely 
destitute  of  figures  carved  upon  the  front. 

The  historical  pole,  as  its  name  indicates, 
stands  as  a  reminder  of  some  event  in  the 
history  of  the  tribe  or  clan,  some  conflict  or 
experience  which  marks  a  new  point  of  de- 
parture, as,  for  example,  in  the  poles  where 
the  frog  IS  portrayed  in  the  beak  of  the  ra- 
11^^  representation  of  the  famous  battle 
between  the  raven  clan  and  the  frog  clan 

former  ""^^  ""^'"^^  crushed  VThe 

The  commemorative  pole  is  a  memorial  of 
some  important  feature  of  the  life  of  the 
chieftain  who  erects  it— such  as  his  mar- 
riage, his  victory  over  his  enemies,  or  the 
source  of  his  wealth.     The  writer  has  in  his 
possession  a  small  wooden  example,  carved 
with  a  beaver  at  the  foot,  a  halibut  in  the 
center,  and  a  man  at  the  top,  as  an  emblem 
of  the  fact  that  the  owner  had  become  rich 
by  trading  in  halibut  and  beaver  skins      Of 
this  last  class,  the  large  column  referred  to 
at  the  beginning  forms  an  interesting  speci- 
men     It  is,  as  has  been  said,  a  monument 
erected  in  honor  of  an  Indian  princess  who 
perished  in  her  journey  to  the  bedside  of  her 
dying  sister. 

f«  f^-^i"?"!"''  ^""'^  *«  ^^^  relationship  held 
hnf  i'l      '''^?  P^^'P'®  *^'  different  tribes 
but  of  the  same  totem.     Among  the  Tlincits 
the  group  of  Indian  tribes  dwelling  along  the 

Sutlt'Sai'L'^'^^'^''^  "''«  no?thwar^d  to 
r:hiw  ""^l  ^^  ^^""^  *«*emic  divisions,  or 
phratries,  exist-that  of  the  Wolf  and  that 
of  the  Raven.  Between  members  of  these 
two  classes  marnnge  is  absolutely  prohib- 
it 


ited.  No  matter  how  close  or  how  distant 
the  ties  of  blood,  such  unions  are  accounted 
an  indelible  disgrace,  and  the  contracting 
parties  become  outcasts.  The  cross-relation- 
ship thus  introduced  into  Indian  life  some- 
times creates  situations  of  much  interest  and 
perplexity. 

The  ability  to  erect  these  poles  implies 
prominence,  as  regards  both  wealth  and  po- 
sition.     They  are  the  admirations  of  our 
copper-visaged     brethren,     and     to     have 
achieved  rank  and  fortune  adequate  to  their 
erection  is  one  of  the  great  ambitions  of  any 
career.      Their  cost  is   often   very   heavy. 
It  IS  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  chief  to  spend 
two  or  three  thousand  dollars  upon  a  pole 
and  upon  the  potlatch,  or  distribution  of 
gifts,  which  forms  one  of  its  accompani- 
ments.    The  rings  sometimes  carved  on  the 
tadn-skillik  or  hat  at  the  summit  of  a  pole 
give  the  number  of  potlatches  given  by  the 
chief.     To  have  given  oi^e,  is  distinction; 
but  to  have  given  several,  is  to  have  shown 
one  s  self  a  veritable  Maecenas  of  the  tribe  •  it 
is  to  have  covered  himself  and  his  descen- 
dants with  deathless  fame.    These  potlatches 
are  very  interestin g  affairs.     The  writer  has 
had  the  good  for  .me  to  studv  one  of  them 
as  an  eye-witness.     It  was  held  in  the  Au- 
gust of  1908  at  Alert  Bay,  near  the  northern- 
most extremity  of  Vancouver  Island.     The 
Aimpkish  Indians  have  their  home  at  this 
8iK)t,  and  were  assembled  for  the  purpose  of 
celebrating  the  virtues  and  exploits  of  a 
chief  who  had  just  died.     They  presented  a 
picture.sque  and  lively  spectacle  as  they  sat 
around  on  the  beach,  the  squaws  in  their 
scarlet  blankets  and  the  men  in  their  gala 
apparel,  the  piles  of  gifts  here  and  there, 
and  the  rows  of  totem  poles  in  tne  back- 
ground of  the  scene.     A  fine-looking  Indian 
was  standing  in  the  centre  delivering  an 
oration,  as  we  were  informed  by  an  inter 
preter,  setting  forth  the  mightv  deeds  of  the 
JfParted  chieftain.     It  was  the  daughter  of 
The  deceased,  a  young  maiden  of  sixteen 
years,  who  was  giving  the  potlatch  as  a 

to 


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tebute  to  her  father's  memory,  and  certainly 
flhal  piety  cannot  be  a  virtue  wanting  to 
the  Indmn  heart,  for  the  expense  was  said 
to  be  m  the  neighborhood  of  six  thousand 
aolJars.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  an 
Indian  to  beggar  himself  by  his  potlatches, 
but  he  has  no  need  to  fear  starvation,  for 
every  other  member  of  the  tribe  is  bound 
live^  support  him  as  long  as  he 

Here,  then,  from  this  maze  of  forms- 
rude  and  hideous  in  our  eyes— emerge  the 
traditions,  the  folk-lore,  the  nursery  tales,  of 
a  primitive  people.  Here  our  modern  scien- 
tific doctrine  of  evolution  shows  itself  in  the 
rough  effort  to  utter  man's  sense  of  kinship 
with  the  kingdoms  of  nature  below  him 

w^  *"*  *'^°  '^  *^®  syu^^'ol  of  a  brother- 
hood of  man  apart  from  ties  of  blood  or  race, 
educating  those  who  profess  it  into  a  broader 
sympathy  and  a  larger  view  of  human  inter- 
S£'  .^?e  circles  of  human  existence, 
otherwise  barbarian  to  each  otLar,  come  into 
contact  and  learn  their  essential  kinship. 

When  next  we  glance  at  this  pillar,  so 
grotesque  and  yet  so  significant  in  its  line 
of  braided  sculptures,  let  ridicule  be  tem- 
pered with  respect.  Let  the  civilized  man 
dismiss  his  disdain  as  he  remembers  the 
Ideas  for  which  it  dimly  stands,  ideas  all- 
powerful  among  us  in  this  twentieth  century 
—Art,  Nature,  Evolution,  Fraternity. 


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